Young love – that head-over-heels, can’t get enough of you feeling – is an emotion so strong a new study finds the brain reacts to new love the same way it does to drugs.
“You feel great when you’re with the person, you feel terrible when you’re not with the person, when you’re with the person you have complete focused attention on them, when you’re not with them you crave their presence, doesn’t that sound just like an addiction?” said Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine
Researchers at Stanford recruited 15 students in the early stages of a romantic relationship.
They did not feel as much pain from a device that progressively got hotter and hotter as the experiment went on – if those students were looking at photos of their new loves.
“They are exactly the same systems that are involved when people are addicted to substances such as cocaine or heroin,” said Mackey.
It’s also the same system triggered by potent painkillers. So does this mean you should start a new relationship every time you have a headache?
There’s an easier way to find relief.
“Try to find pleasure in the things that you do, whether it be being with the one you love or listening to wonderful music,” said Mackey.
Only young couples were included in the study. Researchers say the love shared between those in a long-term relationship may not trigger pain relief, but it has other benefits.
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